Tides of Fate
by Dark-Celeste
Summary: Colin's dead, how will the town cope when another tragedy strikes? Will the tides of fate spare a teenage boy's life?
1. The funeral

TITLE: Tides of Fate  
  
AUTHOR: Dark-Celeste37 E-MAIL: lauren_dunlop@hotmail.com RATING: PG-13 SUMMARY: Colin's dead, how will the town cope when another tragedy strikes? Will the tides of fate spare a teenage boy's life? DISCLAIMER: I do not own Everwood, or any of its characters, etc. Though I would like very much to own Gregory Smith. A/N: This is my first fanfic, so go easy on me. This takes place after the season finale. Anyway, reviews are very much appreciated! Enjoy!  
  
"EPHRAM! Get you're lazy self OUT OF BED!" Andy's voice echoed up the halls and into the teenage boy's bedroom, where moments ago he had been in a deep slumber at this early hour. At the sound of he's father's extremely loud wake up call he had fallen out of bed, only to smack his head on the edge of his bed attempting to get up.  
  
"Damn it! Why the hell is he making me get up at eight thirty on a Sunday morning?" Ephram seethed, rubbing his forehead. His father, who had reached Ephram's door in time to hear that last remark, replied, "It's the day of Colin's funeral, remember?" His face clouded. Ephram felt sorry for his father, something that rarely happened. Dr. Andrew Brown had taken Colin's death hard, blaming himself for it.  
  
"Oh yeah. I forgot. What time do we have to be there?"  
  
"Nine o' clock sharp, so you better hustle. Delia's already downstairs eating." With that, Andy made his way down the stairs.  
  
"Yeah, well Delia isn't kept up all night with nightmares," Ephram muttered when he was certain his father was out of earshot.  
  
Quarter to nine Ephram was downstairs freshly showered and fully clothed in his black suit. His father removed a blackened object from the toaster, put it on a plate and held it out to his son. Ephram looked down at what looked suspiciously like toast, though it was hard to tell since it had been reduced to near ashes. "Toast, Ephram?"  
  
"Uh, I think I'll stick with cereal, dad." Ephram grabbed a box of cocoa puffs from the cupboard and took a seat beside his sister. Delia was dressed in a plain black dress with a black ribbon holding her hair back securely. She had finished her poptart, judging by her empty plate, with the exception of a few crumbs. Now she was hunched over her math notebook, puzzled by a question. Ephram glanced over at the problem and said, "It's sixteen." She looked at him, then at the question. Realization dawned on her and she wrote the answer down. "I get it now! Thanks Ephram. Now I'm done my homework." She scurried off to put the notebook in her backpack, and Ephram muttered, "Anytime," before eating his breakfast.  
  
Almost the whole town had turned out to the cemetery on this cool, cloudy day to say their last good-byes to Colin Hart, hero of Everwood in the hearts of the people he knew.  
  
Ephram spotted Amy standing with her family. Her eyes were red and her face was stained with tears. Bright's face was not much different. After all, Colin had been his best friend sine childhood. Had been. Past tense. He stood with Andy and Delia and gazed at the closed coffin that would soon be lowered into the ground. Ephram had never really liked Colin, but he hadn't deserved such a fate. The preacher was talking but Ephram wasn't listening. Thunder rumbled in the sky and the townspeople looked up at the darkening sky.  
  
"Colin Hart was a good person."  
  
The first raindrops hit when Bright was finishing up the eulogy Colin's parents had asked him to write.  
  
"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."  
  
Now, as Colin's coffin was being lowered into the ground the rain started pouring down steadily. People were sobbing now, some crying silently, or some dry eyed. Ephram glanced at Amy, who stood stiffly, her face pale and brown eyes shining with unshed tears.  
  
Soon people started filtering out of the cemetery. Amy's family remained to speak with Mr. and Mrs. Hart. Ephram followed his father and Delia slowly. After going a little ways he stopped and turned to see Amy looking at him. Their eyes met and stayed locked on each other for a minute. Ephram was getting drenched but that didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was Amy. He was about to say something but then Colin's mother spoke to Amy, and she was forced to turn and reply. When she turned back he had gone. Her eyes searched around but he was nowhere to be seen.  
  
A/N: Well, how was it? Remember, it's my first and any suggestions or whatever would be welcomed! Any case, review review review!!!! Please??? 


	2. How to Deal

Chapter 2: How to Deal  
  
Ephram turned away from Amy and walked quickly to his dad's car. Andy and Delia had taken shelter inside, waiting for Ephram.  
  
Instead of going to the passenger side, he stood in front of the window on the driver's side. Andy rolled it down and looked at his son curiously. "What is it Ephram?"  
  
"I'm going to walk home, okay?"  
  
The doctor's eyebrows shot up. "Uh, Ephram you do realize that it's pouring cats and dogs, right?"  
  
Ephram rolled his eyes and replied, "I don't mind the rain. Besides, it's not exactly a far walk."  
  
In the end, Andy consented, and drove off, with Ephram following them at a slow walk. He hadn't taken even five steps when he heard his name being called.  
  
"Ephram! Wait up!" He turned to see Amy running towards him breathlessly. "Hey, would you mind if I walked home with you? Everyone's giving me their sympathy, I'm not sure I can take anymore."  
  
"I don't mind. But you sure you wanna get soaked?"  
  
Amy gave a short laugh. "I think it's too late for that. Besides, I like rain. It's refreshing." She smiled widely, and they started walking.  
  
Ephram looked at his friend oddly. She seemed way to cheerful for someone whose boyfriend had just passed away. "I know you've probably been asked this a million times, but, are you okay?"  
  
Amy looked down at her shoes. "I'm fine, really-" Her voice broke. "No, I'm not. I'm just putting on a brave face. I can't bear to think that I'll never see him again." She was sobbing openly by now.  
  
"I know it's hard, but it does get easier with time, even if it does sound corny. It takes awhile, but you learn how to deal. When my mom died I thought the world ended. It gets easier I promise." He put his arms around Amy, and she did the same.  
  
"Thanks Ephram. I really don't know what I'd do without you."  
  
Ephram withdrew from the embrace so they could continue their walk, but took her hand in his. "We'd better hurry if we want to be home in time for lunch."  
  
They were about half way home when it happened. They had been walking on the side of the road, talking and laughing about trivial things, when a car could be heard approaching.  
  
"And remember that time when Kayla fell flat on her face in front of half the school!" That led to another burst of laughter. Ephram looked up to see a jet-black car on the opposite side of the road that was swerving slightly. 'Drunken driver,' Ephram thought, disgusted. Suddenly the car turned towards them skidding this way and that, the driver clearly having lost control of his car. It was quickly approaching and panic filled Ephram's half-numbed brain. One last thought entered his head before the collision. "AMY! Watch out!"  
  
A/N: Heh heh. cliffhanger!!!!!! Check back for updates soon! Sorry its short, but I wanted a cliffhanger, and I didn't want to drag out the walking and so on. The next chapter will be longer! Don't forget, read and review!!! Thanx! 


	3. Why god!

Chapter 3: Why God?!  
  
Amy felt a huge force push her to the side, away from the incoming car. She laid on the grass, stunned, until the car sped away, a hit and run case.  
  
"Ahhh." Amy heard a faint moan coming from the side of the road a little further up then she was. She turned her head to see a dark form sprawled on the gravel in an awkward position.  
  
"Ephram! Oh my god!" She crawled over to him and turned him over as gently as she could manage with her trembling hands. She sucked in her breath when she saw him fully. The side of his head was bleeding profusely, and there were rips in his tux in various places. "Ephram, talk to me, oh god Ephram talk to me!"  
  
".Amy" His eyes flickered open and he let out a moan, the pain he was experiencing voiced. "Amy.what.happened?"  
  
"Ephram, you-" She choked on her tears. "You were hit by a car."  
  
"Ahh.That explains.a lot." Amy smiled through her tears.  
  
"Ephram you're gonna be okay. You have to be! Can you move at all?" He shook his head. "Oh! I think I brought it with me!"  
  
Ephram looked at her curiously. She searched the pockets of her jacket that she had thrown over her black dress, and when she removed her hand, a silver and pink cell phone was clutched in it. "I'm gonna call an ambulance for you, okay Ephram? You're gonna be fine!"  
  
As Amy started to dial the number, everything became blurry to Ephram. He started seeing double, before his eyes rolled up and he passed out into oblivious peace. Amy looked down in time to see that, and she said quickly, "Ephram! Wake up! Please!" But he stayed unconscious.  
  
When she had made sure an ambulance was on the way, she began to phone Andy, but the familiar faint beeping told Amy that her batteries were five seconds away from dying. 'Damn!' she thought, 'Well, I'll have to call from the hospital.' It then occurred to Amy that she should make sure Ephram was still breathing alright, and that his pulse wasn't fading. Both were steady, but his pulse was a little faint. He needed that ambulance soon.  
  
While she was waiting, she wrapped the sash from her dress around the wound on Ephram's head, a temporary bandage. She then cradled his head in her lap and sang. She sang nearly every song she knew, until the sirens of the ambulance could be heard in the distance.  
  
They put Ephram on a gurney and lifted him into the ambulance and asked Amy a few questions about the incident. When the police asked Amy if she had gotten the license plate number of the car, she realized how Ephram had taken the full hit of the car. "He pushed me aside! He saved me!" Tears started coursing down her pale cheeks more then ever.  
  
"Hey miss! Would you like to stay in the ambulance with your friend?" Amy nodded and hopped in. She was given a blanket, seeing as how she was still soaked from the downpour.  
  
She sat beside her friend, deep in thought. 'Why did he save me? He could have leapt out of the way himself!' Her eyes widened. 'After everything I've done to him, how I've treated him, he's still in love with me! And.I think I'm in love with him.'  
  
When the ambulance reached the Denver Hospital, she followed Ephram all the way, until the doctor asked her to stay in the waiting room and try to get a hold of the boy's father.  
  
Amy was standing at a pay phone, waiting for Andy to pick up, while twisted the phone cord between her fingers.  
  
"Hello, the Brown residence."  
  
"Hi, Dr. Brown?"  
  
"Amy? Where are you? Your parents are worried sick. And where's Ephram?"  
  
Amy swallowed with difficulty and spoke. "Actually, that's what I'm calling about, Dr. Brown. There.There's been an accident."  
  
The great doctor Andrew Brown burst through the hospital doors, with Delia following closely behind with Edna holding her hand. He walked quickly down the halls, and saw Amy sitting in a chair in the waiting room, her small face pale with trails of tears still visible.  
  
Amy stood up when she saw the three approaching. She went up to Dr. Brown and burst into tears. "I'm sorry Dr. Brown, it's all my fault, all my fault!"  
  
"It's not your fault, Amy," He replied, looking around for a doctor.  
  
That made her condition worse. "It is though! He pushed me aside! He could have jumped for safety but he sacrificed himself for me."  
  
Edna put her arms around her granddaughter and Delia sat in a chair beside the one Amy had just left. Andy spotted a doctor coming forward and met him. "I'm Dr. Kent. Are you the boy's father?"  
  
"Yes, I am. Dr. Andrew Brown." He and the other doctor shook hands. "Is my son going to be alright?"  
  
"He was quite lucky for someone in that type of situation. However-" He led Andy over to Ephram's x-rays on the wall. "As you see here, he broke a couple of his ribs, but not severely and they'll be good as new in a couple of weeks. He also broke his right leg and left arm, both clean breaks that should heal without complications. Now we get to the problem. As far as we can tell, when the car hit, Ephram was thrown backwards. It was then when this fracture here-" he pointed to a small chip located in the back left area of Ephram's skull, "was inflicted. A small piece has almost broken off, but it's fine as long as it stays where it is. But there's a chance that it will shift and we can't release Ephram until we know its staying put."  
  
Andy put his face in his hands. This couldn't be happening to Ephram. Why, god? He thought miserably. Why did this have to happen so soon after Julia.He lifted his head. "Can I see him?"  
  
Amy sat in the waiting room, squirming, failing to get comfortable. In the time it had taken for Andy to get here, she had been replaying worst scenarios in her mind. Ephram becoming handicapped, slipping into a coma, dying.She mentally shook herself. She couldn't think about that. Instead, she raised her eyes up towards the heavens and thought, why god? Why did this have to happen so soon after Colin.  
  
A/N: There you go!!! Another chapter finished! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, it really made my day!! Anyway I'll try to post the next one soon, so keep on checking! Oh, and please read n' review!!!! Thanx, and see ya later! 


	4. Important Author's Note!

I am soooooooo sorry for not updating sooner!!!! I can sort of explain though. At the beginning of August I was going to summer camp, and right after I was going to Cedar Point in Ohio. I wouldn't have any time to update between the two, and right after Cedar Point was the first day of school! So I tried to post an authors note explaining why the fanfic wouldn't be updated for a whole month, but either my internet was screwy or the server wasn't working properly but I couldn't get the note posted! So after that school started and keep in mind, I am a grade 8 student, and along with preparing for high school, I have enrichment class, guitar lessons and friends. You can imagine how busy I am! After the first couple weeks I had some free time but I was slacking on the story. Last week I received a review from slazenger77 (which was really helpful, thank you sooo much!! ^_^) which inspired me to continue with my fanfic. And believe me, my mind is black and blue with all the mental kicks I've given myself. So anyway, following this should be the newest chapter of tides of fate!! Yes, this fanfic IS OFFICIALLY UP AND RUNNING!!!!! Yay!!!! I hope all my readers who have taken this fanfic as dead will return!! Read and review please!!!!! 


	5. Letting go

Chapter 4: Letting go  
  
Ephram had been unconscious for about a week, giving the family and friends of the boy more then enough time to worry and think. They took turns sitting with him, waiting anxiously to see Ephram's stormy sea coloured eyes looking up at them. Though hour after hour his eyes stayed closed, and the hope in the hearts of the visitors began to dissipate. The doctors had said he should have awoken by now, and they could find no reason for him not to.  
  
"Amy, would you like to sit with him?" Andy gently touched her shoulder, getting her full attention. She nodded, her face completely devoid of emotion. She walked sullenly to his room and slipped inside. She kept her eyes on the floor until she reached the chair beside the hospital bed and sat in it. Slowly she lifted her eyes to look upon the pale form that lay on the bed. Then she burst into tears, and leaned forward in her chair to touch his face.  
  
"Ephram, please wake up! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I should never have treated you like that when Colin was in a coma, and even after it, God, please! Ephram, your father needs you, Delia needs you and-" Her voice cracked, she coughed and continued. "And. I need you Ephram! More then ever! Please wake up!" She clasped his limp hand tightly, and looked up hopefully to his face. However, his eyes remained concealed behind pale eyelids.  
  
Upon seeing this, sobs wracked her pitiful form, and her head slowly fell to rest upon Ephram's chest. She could hear his heart beating, a rhythm that was musical to Amy's ears, but it was little comfort to Amy, who knew it could have stopped three days ago and it could still. Her heaving sobs eventually became silent, though still as passionate. She kept her head there, listening to the beat.  
  
"Amy?" A weak voice reached Amy, though it was a whisper.  
  
The girl looked up, startled, and barely able to believe what she had heard. "Ephram?"  
  
He gave her a small smile, but it looked painful. "Hey," he said.  
  
"Oh my god Ephram you're awake!"  
  
"Yeah, I guess I am. Amy, what happened?" The smile Amy had missed so much disappeared with the inquiry, and was replaced with a questioning look. Ephram watched as Amy's face clouded over.  
  
"We were walking home when a car appeared on the road. The driver was drunk, I guess, and the car swerved and hit you! You didn't wake up Ephram, we were all s-so scared!" She burst out in tears of the memory and Ephram put a hand on her arm comfortingly. But something she said prompted him to ask yet another question, one that he was afraid to hear the answer of.  
  
"Umm, Amy? Exactly how long have I been here?"  
  
Amy cleared her face of any tears and spoke quietly. "About a week."  
  
Ephram was shocked. "From a little car accident?! That's impossible!" The look on Amy's face told him that she wouldn't joke about this. "But.Why? Am I okay?"  
  
"Well. The doctors said you should have woken up before now, but I think your dad should explain the rest for you. I'm not really good with all this medical stuff," she gave a small, nervous laugh.  
  
"Speaking of him, where is he?"  
  
Amy's brow furrowed in thought. "I think he went to pick up Delia from school. She's been here every day after school to see you."  
  
"She must be scared."  
  
Amy sensed Ephram's concern. "She's handling it fine, Ephram. She has a lot of faith in you. And so do I." Amy said the last sentence under her breath, but Ephram's keen hearing caught it.  
  
"You do?"  
  
The girl's face flushed and she stared fixedly at the white washed walls of the private hospital room. "Of course I do. Ephram, after everything that's happened, you've always been there for me. The only reason I went to Colin's funeral instead of sitting at home, eating pint after pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, was that you would me there for me. I knew that seeing you would be better then staying at home alone."  
  
Ephram looked up at her curiously. "You really mean that?"  
  
"Yes." Amy leaned her head down, her face inches away from Ephram's. Then their lips met, and a torrent of emotions ran through them both. For Ephram, it was a sense of joy, the girl he longed after for so long answering him. For Amy, it was letting go, leaving Colin in the past where he now belonged. There was nothing standing in the way now, no obstacles to block their love. Amy supposed, during that kiss, that she had always loved him, but had been too afraid of leaving Colin.  
  
Finally they separated, just before Andy entered the hospital room. "Ephram!? You're awake!" He ran to his son's side and put a hand on Ephram's head. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Fine, except for a slight headache. Amy told me what happened, but she said you should tell me why I didn't wake up sooner."  
  
Amy cut in meekly. "I'm just going to go tell Delia you're awake Ephram. I'll be back later." Ephram nodded and she exited the room quietly.  
  
A/N: There it is!!!! Finally!!! I decided to leave the medical explanation for the next chappie, which will hopefully be up soon! If its not, a nice review would get my writing side back up! Thanx!!! Review!!! 


	6. Siblings, Answers and Friends

Chapter 5: Siblings, Answers and Friends  
  
"So you see Ephram, they're going to have to keep you here a little longer, just to be safe." Andrew Brown was finishing up telling Ephram what, exactly, was wrong with him.  
  
"So basically what your disguising under all those medical terms, is that I have a chipped skull and that I have to stay here in case it moves?"  
  
Andy smiled. "Ahh, you catch on quick."  
  
"Any idea of when they'll think its safe to let me go home?" asked Ephram curiously. Unless the chip does move. No, Ephram, don't think that!  
  
"I'd say probably a week or two. If it doesn't move during that then there's a very low chance it will move after, unless of course you hit your head hard. You just have to be careful. It will heal up in no time."  
  
Ephram nodded. He had a feeling his dad wasn't telling him something, but he brushed it aside. "Is Delia here?"  
  
He nodded. "She's in the waiting room with Nina and Sam. Do you want me to go get her?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
A couple minutes after Dr. Brown left Delia showed up at the doorway of Ephram's hospital room. "Ephram? Are you asleep?"  
  
Ephram opened his eyes. "No, I'm just resting them. How ya doing, kiddo?"  
  
She strayed to his bedside. "I'm okay, I guess. I've been really worried about you, Ephram."  
  
"You don't have anything to be worried about, De. You don't really think I'd leave you, do you? 'Cause I'm not going anywhere."  
  
A smile appeared on Delia's face, a smile that told of reassurance, and hope, but it disappeared with a stifling thought. "I'm not so sure anymore, Ephram. Mom left, and I don't think she wanted to. So why did she have to die? You don't want to, but how can you stop it?"  
  
Ephram was startled by such a deep thought coming from his nine-year-old sister. "I dunno, Delia, but I can promise you that I'm not giving up without a fight. Don't worry about me. It's not over 'til the fat lady sings, right?"  
  
That brought a laugh out of his sister. She had always loved that line. "Okay Ephram, but its hard, you know? Anyway, I'll see you later, k? I think Amy wanted to see you. Want me to get her?"  
  
Ephram nodded and Delia said her good-byes. A few minutes later Amy arrived, flustered and holding something in her hands.  
  
"Hey Ephram, sorry I took so long, but I couldn't find these."  
  
Ephram laughed. "It's not like I'm pressed for time. That's not homework, is it?"  
  
"Of course not! I know better then to bring you school work." She moved from the doorway to the bedside and held up what she had been holding. "It's your favourite manga series and the brand new volume of Ayashi no Ceres! Your father brought them over." Amy handed the stack over to Ephram, who set them on the side of the bed with a grateful look on his face.  
  
"Thanks, I thought I was going to die from boredom!" Ephram watched Amy's face fall at the reference to his demise, and inwardly winced. Nice move, Brown, he thought. "Hey, its okay. Like I said to Delia, I'm not going anywhere."  
  
Amy looked up, but Ephram could tell something was still troubling her. She spoke, but hesitantly. "Ephram. Why did you-"  
  
Ephram cut her off, knowing what she was about to say. "Leap in front of a speeding car to save you, like a super hero?" Amy nodded.  
  
"Amy, I couldn't just stand by and let you get hit. You mean more to me than anything in the world. And I'll never regret it. And don't feel as though its your fault, okay? It was my choice, and even if it was made in a split second, its what I wanted to do." By now, tears were spilling down Amy's pretty face, leaving tracks of salt water.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ephram." Ephram looked deep into Amy's dark eyes, and brought her face down to his, meeting in a shattering kiss. Electricity surged through them, and Ephram felt the warmth of Amy's tears on his cheeks.  
  
They parted reluctantly, and Ephram said, "Nothin' to be sorry about, Amy."  
  
In the following week Amy continued to visit him. Then at the end of his second week in the hospital, he received a surprise visit from Amy, who had brought along Laynie and Bright.  
  
"The nurse said you could go around the hospital in a wheelchair, so that's what you're going to do!" exclaimed Laynie. Ephram looked at her strangely.  
  
"It's a hospital," Ephram said, as if she was the stupidest person in the world. "What's so good about that?"  
  
"Dude, you've been in a hospital bed for, like, more then a week. Isn't anything better then another day of that?"  
  
Ephram conceded. "Yeah, I guess you got a point there."  
  
They helped him into the wheelchair, and then they were off racing around the hospital, disrupting nurses and knocking things over.  
  
"Hey Ephram, are you alright?" Amy asked Ephram, who was looking sort of pale and rubbing his temple.  
  
He shrugged her off. "I just have a little head ache, that's all."  
  
His three friends exchanged worried glances, and Bright said, "Maybe we should go back, it's almost lunch anyway and I'm hungry!"  
Ephram nodded and they went back to his room. His trio of friends went down to the hospital's cafeteria to get some lunch, while a nurse brought Ephram's his.  
  
When Amy, Bright and Laynie returned they found Ephram finishing off his bowl of soup and ham sandwich. Amy smiled. "Looks like your appetites back!"  
  
Ephram grinned. "Well, you know you can never really get enough of the fine hospital cuisine!"  
  
"Yeah right. It's gross! I don't know how you stand this crap each day!" Bright retorted.  
  
"Me neither. But you know what they say, stomach of steel."  
  
Amy laughed, sounding like a wind chime twinkling on a breeze. "Oh, so that's why you threw up when you tasted a container of your dads cooking that had been in the fridge for, like, two months?"  
  
"Hey, not even an iron man could swallow that stuff without puking."  
  
A knock on Ephram's opened door turned their heads. "Could I speak to Ephram alone for a minute?" The doctor looked at Ephram's friends, who quickly shuffled out of the room.  
  
"I have some news." 


	7. Moving on

Chapter 6: Moving on  
  
Ephram looked at the doctor cautiously. Was he here to tell him he could go home? Or had the MRI scans shown that the chip had shifted, and he'd have to go under surgery?  
  
The doctor answered his thoughts. "You can go home, Ephram Brown. You're one lucky boy."  
  
Ephram's eyes widened in excitement. "Really?"  
  
Dr. Kent nodded. "It seems that the chip of bone will heal by itself now, but you'll have to be extremely careful you don't bump your head. It could dislodge the chip, and in layman's terms, that would be very, very bad."  
  
"Ok. I'm I leaving today?"  
  
"I've spoken to your father, and he said he'll take you home immediately. Of course, you'll have to stay in a wheel chair for awhile, and have weekly MRI scans until your skull is completely healed. Now, I think your friends are dying to know what I've told you." He gestured to the window, where Ephram's three friends practically had their faces pressed against the glass. "Shall I let them in on my way out?"  
  
Ephram nodded, and the doctor departed, allowing the three teens to rush through the doorway.  
  
"What did he say?!" came the three replies in sync.  
  
He made his face look depressed and sad, and watched his friends' faces fall. "He said I can go home." Then he put on a huge grin.  
  
"Ephram that's great!" Amy hugged him happily.  
  
"Yeah, I know. My dad's gonna take me home right away!"  
  
Later that day, Ephram, Andy, Delia and Amy were standing in the front hall of the Brown residence. Ephram had left his wheelchair, breathing in the familiar scent of his house. "It's good to be back."  
  
"It's good to finally see you out of that hospital. This house hasn't seen much of this family the last couple of weeks," Andy replied.  
  
In the eyes of Ephram's family and friends, the house was exactly how they'd left it. There was a newspaper lying on the ground, which had probably been flung aside hastily when Andy received word that his son was being hospitalized in Denver, and a coffee mug on the table.  
  
But in the eyes of Ephram, the house was wonderful. It had a transcendent feeling of peace and tranquility, and it was a haven compared to the stoic hospital. It also seemed to him that the house was happy to see him back, as was he to see the house.  
  
Ephram looked up and saw that a huge banner had been put up, with 'Wecome Home Ephram!' written on it. How was that possible? They only found out that day, his dad couldn't have came back. Ephram voiced that question, and as if on cue, Nina came out from the kitchen.  
  
"I phoned Nina and told her you were being let out. She was overjoyed, I might add, and this was her idea." Andy smiled.  
  
Nina rushed over to Ephram and hugged him tightly. "We were all so worried, Ephram! When your dad called and said you were being released, I came over and Sam helped me make the banner. There's a surprise in the kitchen, too."  
  
They went into the kitchen, curious as to what it was, thought it was quite obvious that it was something edible, being in the kitchen and all.  
  
There, on the table, was an enormous double chocolate fudge cake with the words 'Welcome Back!!!' in red icing.  
  
"Wow, Nina! This looks delicious!  
"How'd you have time to make it?" asked Amy, astonished.  
  
"It's my grandmother's secret recipe for when you need to make an emergency cake!"  
  
So the Browns, Nina, Sam, Amy, Bright and Laynie all sat down to a huge cake. Afterwards, Nina, Sam and Laynie left, and Bright was waiting outside to drive Amy home.  
  
Delia had gone to bed, and Andy was in the living room reading a newspaper. Ephram and Amy were standing in the hall, saying goodbye.  
  
"I'm really glad you're home, Ephram. I couldn't stand it while you were in the hospital. It was too much like before."  
  
"Hey, it's okay now. I'm gonna be fine, and we can move on." He gently wiped a tear from Amy's cheek. "Remember what I said to you that day in the hospital?" She nodded, sniffing lightly. "I'm gonna keep that promise, so don't worry."  
  
Amy threw her arms around her boyfriend, clutching him as if he was her lifeline. Which he was, in a way. Ephram wrapped his arms around her trembling form and they held each other, until the sound of a car horn made them both jump.  
  
"I guess I'll see you later."  
  
Ephram smiled. "You can count on it."  
  
In the following weeks, Ephram was careful not to bump his head, and one day, at one of his weekly checkups, the doctor said he had made a full recovery.  
  
Him and Amy retained a strong and steady relationship, and he had even given her a promise ring that had belonged to his mother on their three- month anniversary.  
  
Everyone said it was luck that Ephram Brown survived that fateful car crash, but Ephram had his own opinion, though he told it to no one except Amy. He thought his mother intervened when the crash should have killed him instantly. While in a coma, he had felt his mother's presence in the darkness, helping him along and coaxing him to wake up.  
  
He had expected Amy to laugh at him, or at least snicker. But she didn't, to his amazement. Instead, she said that she used to feel Colin's presence whenever she went to put flowers on his grave. She said she knew the feeling, and that it was comforting.  
  
"But now I have you," she had said. "Colin doesn't need to be there for me. He can move on, and I think he did. And I can move on too."  
  
Ephram had pulled Amy into a warm embrace, and captured her lips with his. The familiar of happiness engulfed the both of them. Amy knew that in the hospital she had let go of Colin. But here, and now, she was moving on. She was getting on with life, and she wanted to spend it with Ephram, overcoming obstacles and setbacks, discovering mysteries and new adventures. The tides of fate kept moving, and Amy could not imagine what it would bring into their lives, but she felt she could triumph anything with Ephram.  
  
And Amy was sure Ephram felt the same way.  
  
A/N: The End! Yeah, I meant for this story to be many chapters longer, but my teacher just gave us a huge amount of projects, and for some reason I have lost interest in this story. So I decided to tie up loose ends and finish the story instead of leaving my readers hanging. So there it is. Sorry if you're disappointed. Also, if any of you are fans of Watership Down, a posted a fic today, that was really a story I wrote for school last year. Check it out, it's called Fleeing Efrafa. Thank you everyone who reviewed, it means a lot to me. Now I'll say goodbye to my readers and to this story that has been haunting me. Maybe it'll stop, now that it's finished! GOODBYE!!!!!!!!  
Dark-Celeste37


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